Mark II
by Corsair5587
Summary: They say life is full of second chances. When Jenny runs into some unexpected trouble, she gets the overhaul of a lifetime. Will it be everything she ever hoped or will the costs outweigh the benefits? JennyxBrad. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1 Tip of the Iceberg

_**My Life as a Teenage Robot: Mark II**_

**A/N: **I'm going to backtrack a bit to explain why and how Jenny was upgraded. Not to spoil anything, but the reason for it won't be pretty. By the way, if anyone wants to do artwork for any of my stories they may. You can email me at saxperson .com.

**Chapter 1: Tip of the Iceberg**

A group of teenagers waited at the bus stop to go to school. One of them was a sophomore with spiky red hair, khaki dress pants, loafers, a dress shirt, and a black vest. Brad looked at his watch and wondered "Where could Jenny be?"

Meanwhile, 240 miles above the Earth's surface, a robot girl with a blue and white paint job and pigtails was busy fighting a pair of Cluster Prime's greatest aces, The Black Hornets. "Join us XJ9, and become part of the pantheon of the greatest pilots in the universe!" One of them proclaimed. His Mark V Hornet Starfighter matched XJ9 move for move.

As the name suggests, the Hornet has the appearance of an Earth hornet. It is 5 meters long with a wing span of 8 meters and comes equipped with three laser cannon (one on the "stinger" two on the mandibles) and a compliment of 12 homing missiles stored in the abdomen.

Jenny gave an exasperated sigh. "When will you get it through your thick head gaskets that I will never join the Cluster?" she exclaimed. "Very well. Edge, let's take her down." One of them said. "Copy that Chopper." The other replied. Edge and Chopper obtained missile lock and fired two missiles each at Jenny.

Jenny leapt into evasive maneuvers, rolling looping and swerving to shake the projectiles to no avail. Suddenly, she had an idea. With the missiles still following her, Jenny reversed course and headed straight for the Cluster aces. The two fired their laser cannon, thinking that Jenny made the worst tactical error ever.

She dodged all the lasers and flew in between the two fighters. Seconds later the missiles made impact. Straight into the very fighters that launched them. Two huge explosions light up the sky before dissipating. Jenny checked the time. "Crikey!" she exclaimed. "I might miss the bus!" She bolted toward Tremorton as fast as her jet pigtails would take her.

**Meanwhile back at the bus stop…**

Brad was starting to worry. He looked at his watch again. "The bus will be here in a few minutes." He said to himself. He was startled by two sudden booms. Brad looked up and witnessed a pale blue streak hurtling toward the bus stop. Jenny stopped on a dime above the bus stop and gently touched down. A few seconds later, the bus pulled up and the students filed on. Jenny and Brad sat together as always. "That was cutting it kinda close." Brad quipped. "I had to fight off a couple of Cluster Aces. You'd think they were fresh out of flight training since I defeated them so easily." Jenny explained. Brad was always jealous of Jenny's abilities. "You got to tangle with Cluster Fighters? Some people get all the luck." He complained.

Conversely, Jenny envied Brad's humanity. "I'd hardly call nearly exploding and almost missing the bus lucky." She countered. Anyway the school day progressed without a hitch, much to Jenny's relief. On the walk home from school Brad asked "Hey Jen, you wanna go to Mezmers?" Before Jenny could answer, she received a call from her mother, Dr. Wakeman. "XJ ni-yun, something has come up that requires your immediate attention!" The doctor explained. "Ugh, is it another meteor?" Jenny groaned.

"Don't you use that tone with me young lady. This is serious!" Nora countered. "Several teenagers have been disappearing in the forests outside Tremorton. You must investigate the cause of the disappearances and find the missing people." Jenny rolled her eyes and switched off the screen. "Sorry Brad, apparently I've got other plans now." She grumbled. Jenny activated the jets in her pigtails and rocketed toward the forest.

She landed in a small clearing and set her scanners to search for human bio- signatures. For twenty minutes she searched and still nothing appeared on her scope. Suddenly, she heard a branch snap. She whirled around and deployed a laser gun from her right arm. Then she felt something whoosh past. "Who's there?" she demanded.

She was starting to regret accepting Sheldon's offer to play Slender: The Eight Pages. Something swiped Jenny across the face and disappeared. "Come out, and face me!" she demanded. "As you wish." said a voice from behind Jenny. She whirled around to see a blonde haired boy with fair skin and blue eyes. Jenny cocked her head sideways.

Three more people appeared from behind the trees. Jenny checked her readings. "Okay, I'm confused. You're all humans, but my scanners aren't picking you up." She said. A nasty grin spread across the boys face as he nodded. The humans' hands peeled back, revealing devastating laser, missile and bladed weapons.

Jenny's optics widened with realization. "No. That's not possible. Dr. Locus only built one robot." She stammered. "Melody was only the tip of the iceberg. Now there is an army of us." The blonde boy boasted. Jenny drew her own weapons. "Stay back! I'm warning you!" she threatened.

**45 Minutes Later…**

"Okay, I think that's enough John." One of the robots said to the blonde. "Yeah, you're right Amy. Let's go home and tell the Doc the good news." John agreed. The four ran back into the woods, leaving Jenny in an utter mess. Her right arm and left leg were severed, several holes were torn open in her armor and her power was dangerously low.

Jenny's display crackled with static. CONDITION: CRITICAL… DIVERT ALL POWER TO CENTRAL CORE… ACTIVATE DISTRESS SIGNAL… "_I hope they get here in time…" _was Jenny's last conscious thought before everything went black.

**A/N:** I know I skipped what could have been an epic fight, but I'll save that for later. Right now I just wanted to get to the chase. There will be three or four more chapters before I start updating MLAATA again. Please tell me what you think. Your reviews mean the world to me.

'


	2. Chapter 2 Back to the Drawing Board

_**Mark II**_

**Chapter 2: Back to the Drawing Board**

**A/N: **In case I didn't mention this before, this universe takes place in 2015 as opposed to the 2070s. Don't ask me how Nora was able to build someone as advanced as Jenny in that year.

Nora stared at her monitor in shock and disbelief. She quickly switched on the comm link. "XJ9, I am receiving your distress signal do you copy." Static was all that came from the speakers. "XJ9, your beacon is transmitting clearly what is your situation?" The doctor pleaded. Still, static poured from the speakers. She took a deep breath. "Jenny… please… give me something." Nora whispered.

Yet again, no response came. Doctor Wakeman gave up on trying to raise her daughter and performed a remote check of Jenny's systems via the distress beacon. After seeing the damage and status reports, Nora's stomach tightened, her mouth became dry, her heart sank. She had to reach Jenny's position as soon as possible. The doctor gathered her tools and was about to load them into her car when the doorbell rang.

She opened the door to see Brad standing in front of it. "Hey Doctor, is Jenny back from the forest yet?" he wondered. "Actually, that's just why I was about to leave. She hasn't been responding to my calls and is heavily damaged so if you don't mind, I'll be on my way." The doctor replied. Brad was so stunned by what he just heard, he didn't even mind that the door slammed in his face.

The girl who saved the world dozens of times, the girl who saved _him _dozens of times, but most importantly his friend was in trouble. Nora started to pull out of her garage when Brad snapped back to reality and ran up next to the car. "Doc, you have to take me with you." He pleaded. "Absolutely not, Mr. Carbunkle." Nora replied. "C'mon Doc. If it were me in that position you'd let Jenny see me." Seeing as there was no time to argue, Nora caved. "Get in." she sighed. "But I'm warning you, what we find might be… disturbing."

The drive to the forest was uneventful and when they reached the entrance, Jenny's distress signal was still transmitting. A short walk into the woods later brought them to Jenny's mangled and twisted form. "Oh my!" Nora gasped. Brad just stared at Jenny's motionless body, stunned. He felt like he was going to be sick. "Glad I didn't bring Tuck." He whispered to himself. Nora was kneeling down beside her daughter, scanning her to determine how to start the repairs. Brad knelt down next to the doctor. "Who could have done this?" Brad wondered.

"We'll have time to answer that once XJ9 is repaired." Nora replied. She finished the scan and frowned when she saw the monitor. "What is it?" Brad questioned. "If we attempt to move XJ9 we'll make the damage worse and my tools are only meant to stabilize her." Nora explained. She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. "Who are you calling?" Brad asked. "Some friends who owe me some favors."

A few hours later, a collection of some of the most brilliant minds in the world arrived in Tremorton Forest including Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku, Burt Rutan, and of course, Sheldon Lee. In the hours it took for the scientists to arrive, Nora did what she could to set up a temporary lab to keep Jenny stable. All that was left was to figure out how to repair her to the point that she could be moved. Right after attendance was taken.

"Let's see now…" Nora began. "Bill?" "Here." "Steven?" "Present and accounted for." "Michio?" "Here Nora." "Burt?" "Here." "Jack and Maddie Fenton?" "Here." "Aaron Blaine?" (He and his wife Chelsea are two OCs of mine. They run a company called SolarTech International.) "Not here." Someone said." The voice come from a 16 year old boy with brown eyes and short tousled brown hair. Everyone turned to the boy. "I'm his son Steven. My parents are unavailable at the moment but I'm the next best thing." He explained.

"Very well." Nora accepted. "We're here because my daughter is in grave peril. Something attacked her in these woods and it is our job to repair her enough to move her back to my house. Here are the scans I took." Nora displayed the scans she collected. After hours of planning, brainstorming, and occasional arguing, the scientists began to repair Jenny.

Unfortunately, the gathering of so many scientists and engineers in one place attracted the attention of the American news media. All the major networks and cable stations rushed their top reporters to the scene. "Brad, stall the press. We can't have them poking around while we're trying to work." Brad gave a quick nod and headed toward the reporters. He found the whole lot of them trying to find the repair site.

"Excuse me, you guys looking for something?" Brad asked. "We were wondering why the world's most renowned scientists gathered here." One of them answered. He was tall, in his mid forties and had white hair. "Well, Mr. Cooper. They're here because… uh… they're here because…" _Come on Brad think, what won't make them more curious. _"They're having an ice cream party." Brad answered. Anderson raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" he scoffed. "Yup. An ice cream party. Yes. That's what they're doing. No newsworthy events happening here tonight." Anderson wasn't convinced.

"I think we'll take a look ourselves." The journalist decided. Brad's mind spun round trying to figure something out. "Okay, cards on the table." He sighed. "Those scientists are busy repairing XJ9. They need to concentrate right now so they can't take any questions." Brad confessed. "Fair enough." Anderson replied. "Just let us know when they're ready.

Brad hurried back to the lab camp and told Nora everything. "Good work Mr. Carbunkle. We should be ready in a few minutes."

After the scientists were sure Jenny was stable, they walked over to the reporters. Anderson was the first to speak up. "Anderson Cooper, CNN, I'd just like to ask, what happened here." All of the scientists turned to Nora. "Well, as I'm sure you all know, there have been mysterious disappearances in this forest lately. I sent my daughter to investigate. Unfortunately something attacked and severely damaged her."

Anderson and the rest of the pres showed genuine concern. "How is she?" Cooper asked. "For the moment, stable." Nora replied. "May we see her?" the journalist inquired. Nora motioned for the press to follow her. She led them to the tent and paused at the flap. She took a deep breath and opened it, allowing the reporters in. They stood shocked at Jenny's state of disrepair.

The reporters and scientists left after a few hours. Except for one. "Doctor, I'd like to help you fix Jenny. I feel like I haven't done enough yet." Steven said. "Very well. Help me get XJ9 into the car and we'll go back to my lab." Sheldon decided to tag along too, being that Jenny was the object of his affections.

The three of them managed to drag her 600 pound body into the lab where they could use the heavy machinery to lift her onto the table. "No need to wait, let's start the repairs." Nora declared. "Hold up Doctor." Steven interjected. "If we simply repair Jenny and send her back out there, she'll just get busted up again." Nora realized that Steven had a point. "Alright, what did you have in mind?" she asked.

"What we need to do is go back to the drawing board and completely redesign Jenny from scratch. I'm talking new weapons, better defense systems, and most importantly a closer resemblance to a human girl." Steven suggested. Nora thought for a moment. "Very well. You two start drawing up the plans in my CAD (Computer Aided Design) program and I'll get to work on some synthetic skin." She said.

**A few hours later…**

"Absolutely not!" Steven exclaimed. "Come on, what's the problem?" Sheldon moaned. "At that size they'll disrupt the air flow over Jenny's body, not to mention the extra weight they'll add." Steven countered. "Aw come on, you know you want it as much as I do." Sheldon teased. "No I don't. _I _realize that someone whose main transportation method is flight needs to have the most aerodynamic shape possible." Steven shot back.

"What are you two bickering about?" Nora questioned. Steven started to turn red as he explained. "We were… uh… debating Jenny's… bra… size." Nora raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "_Sheldon_, being the hormonally driven creep that he is insists on a size D whereas I recommend a far more aerodynamic and reasonable size B."

"Mister Blaine is correct Mister Lee. Aerodynamic efficiency takes priority of your hormonally driven fantasy." Nora replied immediately. Sheldon hung his head in defeat. "Fine." He growled. "Hey Doctor, whatcha got there?" Steven wondered referring to the white material Nora held in her hands.

"This gentlemen, is what I call Serpent Skin." Nora said. "What you mean like Dragon Skin Armor?" Sheldon questioned. "This is better. It looks and behaves like human skin, however it should be 100 times stronger than steel, fire retardant and I've woven in several microscopic photovoltaic cells." Nora explained. "Jenny's new skin will act as a solar panel." Steven realized. "Precisely." Nora answered.

"So, how are the plans coming?" Nora inquired. "The _size_ issue was the last thing we had to settle so the plans are done now." After a quick but thorough inspection of the design Nora turned to her two assistants. "Alright boys, now we have to build and test the parts." Nora decided.

After donning some protective gear the three went to work. Steven started work on Jenny's rocket engines. He carefully mixed the fuel and put it into the recently molded carbon nanotube engine housing before placing it on a test stand. He sealed the chamber the stand was in and pressed the ignition button. After which he saw the engine explode from behind the 4 inch Plexiglas window. He scribbled some notes on a clip board and returned to his work bench.

Meanwhile, Sheldon was putting some recently crafted servos through mobility tests. All of them passed with flying colors, so he moved on to resistance testing.

Back at the rocket testing chamber, Steven placed a new engine with a new (and hopefully less volatile) fuel mixture into the test stand. Once again, he pressed the ignition button. This time the engine came to life with a high pitched whine. Steven turned a dial on the control panel to increase thrust but at just 32%, the engine exploded.

Nora was busy testing the strength of the Serpent Skin. She had on both eye and ear protection. She picked up a 9mm Sig Sauer and fired some rounds into the skin. The bullets didn't even show any marks on the skin. She then moved to a .45 caliber Glock 18 pistol, a .44 Magnum, an Uzi, an MP5, a G36C, an M4, a Benelli M3 Super 90 shot gun, an AA12, a Berrete .50 caliber M2 sniper rifle, an M2 .50 caliber machine gun, an M134 Minigun, an M203 grenade lancher, an AT4 Rocket Launcher, an RPG-7, and a fragmentation grenade. None of the weapons so much as scratched the skin.

Steven was on to his third mixture of rocket fuel. He turned on the ignition and the engine whined to life. He slowly turned up the throttle until it reached 100% and kept it there for a few minutes. He then turned the throttle down until the engine stopped. Steven held his breath for a few moments before starting to write on his clip board. The engine did not explode.

After more tests and assembly that this narrator does not feel like describing, all the parts were ready to be assembled into the finished product. Meanwhile at Tremorton High School, Brad stared at the empty seat next to him in deep thought. _Come on Jen, pull through. You've got to pull through._ Brad thought.

Just then he heard whispering from behind him. "'Bout time someone clawed Robogirl." Tiff said. "I'll say. We're better off without that bucket of bolts anyway." Britt agreed. "'Sides, she was last year's model anyway, nuthin more than metal and wires." Tiff said. "Can you believe some people think she should have the same rights as a person?" Britt wondered.

Brad could no longer contain himself. He felt like something suddenly snapped inside of him. He stood up out of his chair and whirled around. "Both of you shut up! Jenny has more humanity in one wire than you have in your whole bodies!" Brad yelled shocking everyone in the classroom.

"Please take your seat Mr. Carkbunkle." The teacher scolded. Brad reluctantly sat down and muttered venomously. _Come on Jen. Pull through and show these bimbos that nothing can stop you. _Brad thought.

**A few more hours later…**

"A.I. transfer complete." Nora said. "I hereby christen Global Protection Unit XJ Series Model No. 9 Mark II." Steven joked. The Mark II form improved on every aspect of Jenny's design. She became faster, stronger and prettier. Her skin was pure white, her hair and her clothes were turquoise. Speaking of her clothes, they were personally designed by Marc Ecko of Ecko Unlimited as a favor for saving his life the previous year at fashion week.

Jenny wore boots that stopped three inches below her knees, a knee length skirt and white belt with a turquoise buckle worn on a slant, a turquoise halter top, and an Ecko Unlimited watch. Her hair was done up in two pig tails, one on either side of the top of her head. The best way to describe her face is that it looks like Anna Sophia Robb's. "So, who wants to do the honors?" Nora asked. "You should do it Nora. You are her mother after all." Steven answered.

With that Nora reached down and applied pressure to the area where Jenny's Right shoulder met her neck. Jenny's eyelid immediately opened, revealing two light turquoise eyes.

**A/N: **Whew, that was a long one. Please tell me what you think and feel free to read my other stories. Thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3 Out of The Ashes

_**Mark II**_

**Chapter 3: Out of the Ashes**

Several messages appeared on Jenny's blacked out display. NEW SOFTWARE DETECTED. CONFIGURING… NEW HARDWARE DETECTED. CONFIGURING… ALL SYSTEMS ON STANDBY AND AWAITING ACTIVATION. DAMAGE AT 0%. Suddenly, her eyes opened and she saw bright lights. Eventually she saw three people looking down at her: her mother, Sheldon, and some other boy she'd never met before. VISUAL SENSORY SYSTEM ONLINE. Her display read. She could see lips moving but heard no words until. AUDIO SENSORY SYSTEM ONLINE.

"Hey Jen, welcome back to the land of moving parts." The strange boy kidded. "What happened? And why can't I move?" Jenny wondered. "You're systems are still coming online. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes." Nora explained. "As for your first question, we found you in the forest and brought you back here for repairs."

"It feels like I had more work done than just repairs. I practically feel like a new girl." MOBILITY HARDWARE ONLINE. "Finally." She said. Jenny sat up to stretch when she noticed something was very different. Her arm looked just like a human's, minus the fact that it was bone white. She then noticed what she was wearing. "I have clothes?" She felt around her face and felt something protruding from it. "I have a nose?" Her hand moved to her head, where she felt a bunch of silky strands. "I have _hair_?! AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" she screamed.

"XJ9 calm down. You've been rebuilt entirely that's all." Nora comforted. "A mirror! Someone get me a mirror!" Jenny demanded. Sheldon and Steven brought a full length mirror over. For the first time Jenny saw her new self in entirety. She put her hand up to the mirror and slowly traced her reflection before pulling it away to examine her palm.

"So, what do you think?" Sheldon asked. "It'll take some getting used to, but you guys did great. Thank you." Jenny thanked. Suddenly a loud growling noise was heard. Jenny looked down at her stomach. "Was that me?" She wondered. "That was your Food to Energy Converter or FEC for short." Nora explained. Jenny cocked her head to one side in confusion. "In layman's terms it will allow you to consume human food and turn it into power." Nora continued.

"Oh I get it now." Jenny said. Then a worried look appeared on her much more expressive new face. "Does that mean I'll have to… go to the bathroom?" she said in a disgusted tone. "Heavens no. Any waste from the chemical reaction inside the FEC will be dissipated as heat." Nora explained. "Whew." Jenny sighed. " However, you can still plug into a wall socket for power if the situation calls for it." Nora finished.

**A Few Minutes Later…**

"Wow, that was amazing!" Jenny exclaimed. "I can't believe what I've been missing! Smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing!" Sheldon ogled at her. "Well I'm glad you like it my _angel._" Sheldon gushed. Steven hit him on the back of his head. "What was that for?" he cried. "1: You're staring creepily, 2: Her own mother is in the room, and 3: I just got here and I'm already sick of your fan boy gushing."

The look on Sheldon's face looked as if Steven had just punched him in the face. He might as well have considering the effect it had on him. Sheldon fled the room in tears. Jenny then hit Steven on the back of his head. "Ow! Careful, human brain in there, very fragile." Steven reacted. "Sheldon can be annoying and even creepy sometimes, but you didn't need to say something like that." Jenny scolded. "He _was _staring." Steven grumbled.

But Steven softened a bit. "I was pretty harsh. I just can't stand people who behave that way." Steven admitted. "Wouldn't you stare at this?" Jenny teased.Steven had to admit Jenny looked quite attractive. He helped design her to look that way after all. "I have a girlfriend." he replied a bit too quickly. Jenny just giggled at Steven's apparent discomfort. "I'll go apologize to Sheldon now." He decided.

It didn't take long to find Sheldon in his garage tinkering with a four stroke engine. "Um, Sheldon?" Steven began. Sheldon kept his focus on his tinkering but answered Steven with a nasty, "What do _you _want?" Steven shifted on his heels a bit while saying. "I just wanted to apologize for the things I said to you earlier." Sheldon continued to work on the engine in silence.

_Well, you tried_. Steven thought. He was about to walk away when something odd caught his attention. Sheldon was trying to tighten a bolt with a pair of pliers. Steven cocked an eyebrow and kneeled down next to Sheldon. The new guy in town reached into his pocket and pulled out an adjustable wrench. "Here." Steven said while holding the handle toward Sheldon.

Sheldon slowly took the wrench. "You walk around with a wrench in your pocket?" he inquired. Steven just shrugged and said, "Never know when a wrench might come in handy." Sheldon resumed his work with the wrench while Steven left.

When Steven returned to Jenny's house, she was talking with her mother about how to go forward. "… and your weapons still aren't fully tested. We need more time to verify that you are ready to resume your mission." Nora finished. "No offense Mom, but the more time we spend testing, the more innocent people will disappear in that forest. I have to go back _immediately._" Jenny countered.

"There is one other thing." Steven interjected. The mother and daughter turned toward him. "I reviewed the video from Jenny's black box and learned that she deduced that the robots she encountered were built by none other than Doctor Locus." He explained. "What's that got to do with anything?" Jenny demanded. "It means that even in your new form returning to the forest alone would be extremely dangerous. You need help; preferably from someone who knows the technology and the inventor." Steven replied.

Jenny knew where this was going. "Melody and I didn't exactly part on the best of terms." Jenny recalled. She still remembered that day all too well. "If you apologize to her and inform her of the situation she might come around." Steven suggested. Jenny shook her head. "It's not that simple. Besides, even if it were, I have no idea where to find her." Jenny answered.

Nora thought for a moment. "She would have to go somewhere far enough from civilization to avoid contact, yet close enough to the Sun to recharge." The Doctor deduced. "That leaves only one place to look: the Moon." Steven concluded. "Can I even make it to the moon?" Jenny wondered. "You should be able to make it with the pulse thrusters in your back." Steven assured. Without another word Jenny stepped outside and activated her pulse thrusters.

Her back opened down the middle and two rocket engines folded out along with a pair of wings that locked into a swept forward configuration. The engines rested between the bases of the wings. Finally, a silver mask formed over Jenny's nose and mouth to allow her to communicate with Nora and Steven while she was in space. Jenny fired up her engines and blasted off toward the moon. Her ascent was not unnoticed by the American based news media.

"It seems that Tremorton's hero, XJ9 is alive and well…" Chirs Mathews began. "… launching into the sky, presumably into space…" said Wolf Blitzer. Jenny grinned from cheek to cheek under her mask. _Man I missed this. I haven't gone into space in months._

Meanwhile, in his underground lair, Dr. Locus was watching the news. And he wasn't happy. He pressed a button on his keyboard. "Jonathan, can you come here please?" He asked. The robot minion arrived at Locus' office. "Yes sir?" he replied. Locus pointed to the monitors. "Care to explain?" The doctor growled.

John stared at the headlines in shock. "No… that's not… but I…" he stammered. Locus rose out of his chair and confronted his minion. "You gave XJ9 one hell of a beating, but left enough of her intact so that she could be repaired." Locus accused. "I didn't know! I promise I won't make the same mistake again!" John cried.

Locus turned back toward his computer. "No. You won't." The doctor said with finality. One click later and the neural circuitry inside John's head self destructed. Locus then sent a message to have what was left of John recycled.

Locus punched in the comm frequency of another one of his minions. "Emily, this is Locus, report." He ordered. "Good news sir. We found one of XJ9's friends in the forest. We have him in custody." She reported. "Splendid work." Locus congratulated. "Bring him here so that we may… _liberate _him." Locus ordered. "Yes sir." Emily replied.

**A/N: **I never did like how the writers never had Jenny attempt to reconcile with Melody after that episode so I decided I'd resolve that matter with this story. Also, the face mask is pays homage to Optimus Prime and I plan to incorporate it into my other story. Please tell me what you think as your reviews are always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4 Making Amends

_**Mark II**_

**Chapter 4: Making Amends**

As Jenny rocketed out of the Earth's atmosphere, she received an unexpected call from Tuck. She picked up. "Jenny! Something terrible happened!" The boy cried. Jenny rolled her eyes. "Did your favorite action figure get stuck in a tree?" Jenny quipped. "This is no time for jokes woman, this is serious!" Tuck retorted.

"Alright, what is it?" Jenny sighed. "It's Brad. He went into the forest after coming home from school. He's been gone for hours and won't return any of my calls!" Tuck explained. Jenny began to feel an overwhelming sense of dread. _Locus' minions must have him. _She thought. "I'm busy with something else right now, but I promise I _will _rescue Brad." Jenny assured.

That seemed to satisfy Tuck enough to calm him a little. "Okay. Good luck. And please… get him out alive." He pleaded. That last part nearly made Jenny start to cry. "I will." She vowed more to herself than to Tuck. The boy hung up and Jenny continued toward the moon. She kept thinking about what she was going to say to Melody before eventually deciding to play it by ear.

**Meanwhile…**

Brad would have laughed at his situation if he weren't in potentially mortal danger. The robots caught him running through the jungle with two baking sheets as torso armor, a metal bowl as a helmet, roller blade padding for his elbows and knees, and a paintball gun. In hindsight the whole thing was a dumb idea from the start, but men do crazy things for love… er… friends. Just friends.

Anyway the robots dragged him toward his new residence in the lair Locus built under the forest. "Let me go you curs! Once Jenny gets here, you'll all be sorry!" He yelled. His captors simply rolled their eyes. "NO! PLEASE! STOP! NOOOOOO!" a random voice yelled. Brad turned his head to see the source of the voice get put into some sort of vertical glass tube. A bright blinding light enveloped the person for a few seconds and dissipated.

The boy lay dead on the floor of the chamber. Brad's gaze followed the vine like network of wires to an assembly line where giant automated arms assembled a perfect robotic likeness of the boy who died in the scanner. Brad shifted his eyes to his captors. Back to the assembly line. Back to his captors.

"Y-you're h-human?" Brad realized with horror. "Were human. Dr. Locus freed us of our weak human bodies and opened up new possibilities for us and the human race." The robot on his right boasted. "You will be free as well." The one on his left promised. "But, I don't want this!" Brad protested. "You've never wanted to be stronger, faster, and _better?_" Brad was floored. _Having a robot body would be kinda cool._ He thought. _I could help Jenny save the world. _There was one problem however.

_Whoever these people were before, they seem completely different from any human I've met. _"Not if it means losing who I am in the process." Brad retorted. The robot on his right gave an evil sneer. "You'll change your mind in time. Then again, you won't have a choice." The trio arrived at an empty prison cell. The robots threw Brad in and locked the door.

Brad clung to the bars and yelled. "Jenny _will _come for us and she _will _stop you!" Brad yelled in defiance only to be met by condescending laughter. "Please hurry Jen. I'm counting on you." Brad whispered.

**Meanwhile…**

Jenny finally reached the moon after an hour of flying. Pulse engines work wonders for long range space travel. She activated her scanners and set them to find signs of technology. Lo and behold, she picked up a power signature located halfway in between the Apollo 11 and Apollo 16 landing sites. Jenny decided to touch down at the Apollo 11 site to avoid detection.

She maneuvered to about 50 ft away from the Lunar Module Descent Stage and landed smoothly on her feet. After touchdown she folded her Jetpack away. "I'm on the Moon Mom." Jenny reported. "That may be so, but you're about 188 klicks away from Melody's position." Nora reminded. "I didn't want to alert her. Besides, I'd like to do a little sightseeing while I'm here." Jenny replied.

Jenny walked toward the remnants of the LM. She eyed the plaque on the main leg and rubbed the lunar dust off of it. She could almost hear Neil Armstrong's voice as she read the words: (In Neil's voice. If you can find a voice recording on Youtube, play it here.) "Here, men from the planet earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind." She stared at the plaque for a little longer. _I came in peace too. I just hope Melody will forgive me._ Jenny thought.

"If you are quite finished, I believe you have amends to make." Nora interrupted. "On it Mom." Jenny groaned. After a few minutes of jogging, Jenny came to within ten feet of Melody before the blonde whirled around with a dirty look on her face. "What are _you _doing here?" She growled. "And why do you look different?" Jenny kept her distance. "I came to apologize for the things I said and did to you. You were a stranger looking to fit in and I should have seen it." Jenny apologized with all the sincerity in her heart.

Melody wasn't impressed. "That's it? I'm sorry?!" She questioned. "What more do you want from me?" Jenny replied. "I want to be able to go back to Earth without being treated like a freak, but thanks to you that's impossible!" Melody snapped. Jenny didn't know how to respond so she just stood there and let Melody continue. "Don't you remember the looks on everyone's faces?!" She yelled before pausing. The blonde looked down and began to tear up. "The look on _Brad's _face?" She whimpered. Jenny still didn't know what to say or do, so she kept her mouth shut.

Then Melody came to a sudden realization. "Why did you pick _now _of all times come here?" Melody asked suspiciously. _Shoot._ Jenny thought. _Well, I was going to have to tell her one way or another. _"Well, no reason to put it off any longer. I need your help." Jenny admitted. "I knew it. The only reason you're here is because you need something from me. Well you won't get it." Melody declared.

That comment stung Jenny like a bee. The worst part was that Melody was mostly right. "Melody…" Jenny began. "No! No more!" Melody interrupted. "You've said what you wanted to say and I gave you my answer. Now leave and don't ever come back!" To drive her point home, Melody activated the laser guns in her arms. "I didn't come here for a fight." Jenny said calmly.

Melody leveled her weapons at Jenny and growled. "Too bad." She sent a volley of laser fire at Jenny's head. Jenny dodged, bobbed and weaved around the blasts but didn't return fire. "Melody, stop this! I don't mean you any more harm!" Jenny pleaded as a laser blast whizzed past her head. Melody ignored Jenny and continued firing. Jenny activated one of her new abilities to provide a more reliable defense: a spherical plasma shield that protects Jenny from all directions.

The laser blasts impacted the shield and were absorbed by the plasma energy. "Get down here and fight me you coward!" Melody yelled. Jenny had enough. "I. Don't. Want. To. Fight you!" Jenny retorted. She thrust her arms out which propelled the shield outward in a powerful shockwave attack. The blast pushed Melody into a rock formation. Jenny touched down next to her.

"There's one more thing I have to say. Brad is being held captive by your father. If you want to improve your image, you'll help me save him and countless others being held by him." Jenny spat. Melody just stared at Jenny with a dumbfounded look. "You don't have to forgive me. Just please help me this one time. For Brad." Jenny asked while holding a hand out to Melody. The blonde picked herself up and dusted herself off. "Only for Brad." She replied.

With that the two launched from the Moon's surface and headed back toward Earth. On the way Melody remembered something. "You never told me why you look different." She realized. "I didn't choose it. When I first went into the forest to find out the cause of some disappearances I was jumped and beaten by robots that your father built. Luckily my mother and my friends found me and gave me this new form to better fight those robots." Jenny explained. "What about you?" Jenny wondered. "What do you mean?" Melody replied in a perplexed tone. "What was your life like before I showed up?" Jenny inquired.

"I was born a human. But, I was so weak that the doctors said I only had a month to live. My father saved me by downloading my consciousness into his latest robot model. I was hailed as a miracle of science and my father was praised as a genius. But when you started saving the world, everyone forgot about my father. He went mad with jealousy and vowed to make me the most powerful robot ever."

Jenny didn't know what to say. "Melody I… I'm sorry." She said. "Let's just focus on what we have to do." Melody suggested. The two robot girls continued speeding toward Earth, both of them hoping that they weren't too late.

**A/N: **This was kind of a hard chapter to write. I wanted to make sure that Melody's reaction would be believable and I wanted to give her a more fleshed out back story. I still don't know how I'm going to resolve the love triangle but I'll think of something. Anyway please give me your honest opinion and thank you for reading.


	5. Chapter 5: Two Girl Army

_**Mark II**_

**Chapter 5: Two Girl Army**

After another hour of flying, the girls reached Earth and reentered its atmosphere. After they reached the upper troposphere the robot girls headed for Tremorton's forest. They were soon greeted by not so friendly company in the form of Skyway Patrol F-35s. Instead of the usual grey paint scheme the of the Air Force, these twelve fighters sported black with yellow trim on the leading edges of the wings and tails in addition to bright red nose cones.

"Attention XJ9. This is Major Jack Bishop. You are flying in restricted airspace and are advised to leave immediately." One of the pilots said. Jenny rolled her eyes. "What part of Global Protection Unit do you people _not _understand?" Jenny asked in an exasperated tone. "We have orders from the president himself to commence bombing of the underground facility. Leave the airspace or we will use force." The Major repeated.

"You can't bomb the facility yet!" Melody protested. "There are prisoners down there!" The four continued to fly in formation while the Major tried to decide the next course of action. "If you can prove that there are prisoners, we'll hold off until they're free." The pilot conceded. "I knew you'd be reasonable." Jenny quipped. She gave a mock salute and continued toward the underground facility.

_Teenagers._ Major Bishop thought. "All planes this is Viper Lead, stand down. XJ9 is moving in to free prisoners being held in the compound. Do not attack until those prisoners are clear." Bishop ordered to his flight. "Yes sir." They replied in unison. As the girls kept flying toward the facility, Melody asked Jenny a question. "Do you have to deal with those guys all the time?" Jenny grimaced. "It's one of the many _perks _of my job." She replied sarcastically. "To this day I haven't met one that I like."

The two finally reached the forest and touched down to scan the area. They did this by way of ultrasonic sensors. "Jenny, I have it!" Melody announced. "Half a klick Northwest." Lo and behold, the entrance to the underground fortress was a tree stump door leading to a vertical tunnel that accessed the main facility. "Huh. That seems to be the only way in or out." Jenny observed. "Who said it was going to be easy?" Melody quipped.

The stump started to slide, prompting the girls to dart behind two different trees. Four robots came out of the tunnel. "Hey, ya hear about that one prisoner?" One of them asked. "Yeah, the guy just broke the record for longest time in a cell." The other replied.

_Brad._ Jenny thought. When the coast was clear the two girls quickly made their way into the entrance and down the ladder. Before moving any further, Jenny tapped into the video feed and froze the monitors so that she and Melody could avoid detection. "The prisoners are 400 meters that way and there's some kind of transmitter 500 meters in the opposite direction. Between the two is the factory and the command room." Jenny observed.

"That transmitter is controlling all of the robots." Melody informed. Jenny looked at her with a perplexed expression. "How do you know that?" Jenny wondered. "I did a lot of snooping around in Daddy's old lair." She said while looking at the ground. She quickly remembered the task at hand.

"Okay, I'll rescue the prisoners, you take out the transmitter." Melody said. "Wait, why do _you _get to rescue the prisoners?" Jenny asked in a tone dripping with jealousy. "I came here to help Brad and that's what I'm going to do, remember?." Melody declared. "Fine." Jenny huffed.

The two went their separate ways. Jenny started to head for the transmitter when she saw a bunch of robots guarding the hallway. _I need a way to distract them._ She thought. Soon enough, she had an idea. She used her laser vision to destroy a camera that pointed away from her. The robots went to investigate the damage which left Jenny a clear path to proceed. She made her way into the deepest recesses of the facility toward the transmitter.

She wasn't careful enough however. One of the robots spotted her. "Hey!" She yelled. Jenny's eyes widened as she broke into a run. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! XJ9 has infiltrated the facility and is headed toward the main transmitter antennae." The robot who spotted Jenny reported. Jenny swore in Mandarin. "Melody, we've got company. One of the guards spotted me." Jenny admitted. "I'll keep my eyes peeled." Melody answered.

As Jenny continued to run she looked at her radar. She wished she hadn't. Scores of robots were surrounding her. In fact, she started to hear them coming. Jenny stopped in her tracks and her mind raced. She drew her Gatling guns and pointed them at the floor. She fired and spun around at the same time, tearing several holes in the floor. Unfortunately, she didn't fall through.

The robots were getting closer. Jenny did the only thing she thought she could. She jumped up and down, slamming her feet into the floor as hard as her servos would allow. Finally the floor gave and Jenny fell through into the facility's sewer system. She oriented herself so her stomach was parallel to the floor and activated her thrusters.

Meanwhile Melody stealthily avoided the guards on her end but most of them were transferred to the effort to capture Jenny. Soon she reached the Prison Cell Control Room. She kicked in the door and used her extendo-arms to take out the two robots in the room. She found the intercom and pressed the button. "Attention prisoners, your freedom is imminent. When I open your cells, please make for the exit in the most organized manner possible." Melody said.

Down below, Brad heard the voice. He looked up at the control room and couldn't believe what he saw. _Melody?_ He thought. The doors swung open and the prisoners hurried out while avoiding trampling one another. "Jenny, the prisoners are out of their cells. How are things on your end?" Melody asked. All she heard for a minute was a bunch of laser fire followed by a loud explosion. "Jenny?" Melody repeated.

"Sorry. I've got some company after me. Looks like it'll be a while before the transmitter is down." Jenny reported. "Once I get the prisoners to safety I'll help you out." Melody said. "Thanks." Jenny replied. Jenny continued to fly through the sewer system while dodging fire from the robots chasing her. Soon she found an access hatch and disappeared into it which gave her pursuers the slip.

The hatch led to the factory area of the facility. Here she could see a GM style plant assembling the robots she was running from. She reached the end of the assembly line where the robots were being activated and deployed. _I might as well do some recon while I'm here. _Jenny thought. _Maybe I'll find a way to take down the base along with the transmitter._ She continued to make her way down the line. The beginning was something very peculiar to her. It was a glass tube with a door on the front. A computer station was nearby.

Taking care to avoid detection, Jenny moved closer to the apparatus. Then she heard screams. "Let go of me! What are you doing?!" Two robots threw a girl into the tube and shut the door. "What's going to happen?" The girl asked with her voice full of fear. The robot calibrating the machine looked up. "You are going to be liberated." He replied. The robot pulled a lever next to the computer. Jenny's Human Protection Programing screamed at her to do something, but she'd risk hurting the girl. A blinding white light enveloped the tube. When it disappeared, the girl lay lifeless on the floor of the chamber. Two robots started to drag her out and take her into a room labeled: INCINERATION.

Jenny stood there for a moment in horror. _People… being turned… into robots? _She realized. She clutched the sides of her head trying to process what happened. _How could someone do this? This is beyond evil. _Jenny lamented. Her sadness soon turned into full blown rage. _No more._ She decided. Abandoning all caution, she leapt out from cover with a frightening war cry and ran toward the Transfer Device with Gatling Lasers blazing. The robots at the control station fell instantly and the station itself exploded under Jenny's cannon.

The entire area lay flaming and in ruin before. Jenny retracted her weapons and surveyed the area. One of the robot's who's internal comm link was destroyed reached for the PA system button. Jenny yanked her up by the neck and brought her up to her face. Forgetting all about her current task, Jenny switched her attention to Dr. Locus's whereabouts. "Where is Dr. Locus?" Jenny growled. The robot spit oil onto Jenny's face. Jenny threw the robot aside and wiped the oil off her face. Jenny walked over to the dead girl. She knelt down and looked at the girls face. Since her eyes were still open, she closed them for her. "No more." Jenny declared with finality. She then received a transmission from Skyway Patrol Command. "Great. Just the people I wanted to talk to." She said sarcastically.

The General of Skyway Patrol appeared on her display. "Good news XJ9. The President has authorized you to take as much time as you need to evacuate yourselves and the prisoners from the compound." This was the first bit of good news Jenny received since Melody's report on the prisoners. "Thank you General. Send the President my regards." Jenny answered. "Will do. Good luck XJ9." The general finished.

As Jenny continued to make her way toward the transmitter, Melody was still trying to lead the prisoners out of the facility. While doing so she accidentally bumped into Brad. "Melody." Brad said. "Brad!" She exclaimed before hugging him tightly. "Why did you come back?" He wondered. "To save you, of course." Melody answered. Just then, the robots that pursued Jenny found the group of prisoners. The one known as Amy activated her comm link. "Doctor, we've found the prisoners. Melody is with them." She reported.

"Round up the prisoners. As for my daughter… don't damage her too badly." Locus ordered. The robots fanned out in order to surround the prisoners and drew their weapons. "Everyone keep on heading toward the exit!" Melody ordered. "I'll cover you!" Brad came up next to her. "Not me. I'm stickin' around to help." Brad refused. "Fine." Melody reluctantly agreed. She removed one of her blaster cannons and gave it to Brad.

"Aw yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" He exclaimed before he started shooting. Melody drew her other cannon and a mace and began her attack as well. Several of the robots went down but their sheer numbers made up for the losses. "There's too many!" Melody shouted just as she hacked off a robot's arm. "We have to hold them back no matter what!" Brad countered. "Jenny, you have to get to that transmitter soon, I don't know how much longer Brad and I can last." Melody reported.

"I'm less than 300 meters away and closing. It shouldn't be long now." Jenny answered. "Wait, Jenny's here too?" Brad asked excitedly. "Someone had to save our skins." Jenny quipped as she rocketed toward the transmitter. "But… how?" Brad wondered as he blasted two more robots. "I'll explain once this is over." Jenny promised. "Okay. And… Jenny," Brad began. "It's good to have you back." A single tear flowed from Jenny's right optic. "It's good to be back." She replied.

Finally, Jenny reached the transmission antennae annex. The electronic lock proved child's play for her hacking equipment. The door opened to reveal a massive dish with a long spire pointing upward. The dish and spire had streams of data flowing around it leading to a central computer hub. She cautiously stepped into the room when an alarm suddenly went off and the entire area became bathed in red light. Several sentry turrets unfolded from the walls and fired EMP blasts at Jenny. "Did you honestly think I'd leave the transmitter that unprotected?" Locus laughed over the intercom. "Once I'm done here, Skyway Patrol will raze this place." Jenny said while dodging blasts.

"Oh trust me; you'll be _done _sooner than you think." Locus taunted. One of the EMP blasts hit Jenny in her right arm rendering it limp. "Don't worry, the effect is only temporary." Locus teased. Ignoring him Jenny continued to dodge the blast while also trying to get a clear shot at one of the eight turrets. She eventually found a clear line of sight and vaporized one of the sentries with her eye lasers. With her newfound cover, Jenny was able to destroy the remaining turrets in the same way. She then turned her attention to the antennae.

Jenny aimed her palms at the dish and fired her palm lasers at maximum power. But the dish remained unscathed. "The transmitter is made of a nearly indestructible titanium chromium alloy. You'll have to find another way." The doctor teased. Jenny shifted her attention to the computer hub. She cracked her fingers and began typing furiously. She had to get past seven layers of encryption, three firewalls, and several password protected windows but she finally was able to shut down the antennae. After permanently locking out the system, she shot out the computer hub with her Gatling Laser.

Jenny could hear Locus clapping. "Impressive XJ9, very impressive." He patronized. Meanwhile Melody and Brad were almost going to be fried when the robots suddenly seemed to snap out of a trance. They stood dumbfounded and shocked at what happened to them. "Jenny, it worked!" Brad exclaimed. Jenny vented a sigh of relief before exiting the transmitter room. "Brad, you lead the prisoners and robots to safety." Melody said. "Where are you going?" Brad asked. "To settle a score with my father." She replied. "Be careful." Brad said. Melody nodded in response.

"Jenny, you go ahead and tell the bombers to attack once you're clear." Melody requested. "You going to see your father?" Jenny guessed. Melody didn't say anything. "I understand. Good luck." Jenny said. With that Melody made her way to the control room. Everyone else got out and got clear of the facility. "Major Bishop, you are clear to start your attack." Jenny announced.

"Acknowledged, XJ9, we are inbound." The Major replied. On the ground Jenny and Brad reunited for the first time since her harrowing ordeal. "Jenny? Is… that you?" Brad wondered. They ran to each other and shared a tight embrace. "The one and only." Jenny answered. Brad pulled away but kept his hands on Jenny's shoulders. He noticed her skin was warm. "Wow. You look… wow." Brad stuttered. Jenny's cheeks turned a deep shade of turquoise. "Thanks. It was Sheldon, Mom and Steven who made this happen." Jenny admitted. "Who's that last one again?" Brad wondered. "Long story, I'll introduce you to him later." Soon the roars of twelve F-35s were heard passing overhead. "This is Viper Lead, all planes we are approaching the target. Prepare to drop ordinance on my signal." Bishop ordered.

Back in the facility, Melody found the control room and opened the door. "Hello there, Melody. It's been far too long." Locus greeted. "It ends here Daddy." Melody declared. "Skyway Patrol will bomb this place into Oblivion and you along with it." Locus gave an evil grin. "Will they now?" Locus asked. "Computer, activate anti aircraft defenses." Locus ordered. Several Surface to Air Missile and Anti Aircraft gun turrets appeared from below the ground and pointed toward the incoming squadron.

"Jenny, we have a problem." Melody reported.

**A/N: **Bum bum buuum. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. It was so much fun to write. Please tell me what you think. On a side note I'll be updating my TFPrime crossover within the next couple of days. Thank you for reading.


	6. Chapter 6 Locked On

_**Mark II**_

**Chapter 6: Locked On**

Viper 2 opened the bomb bay doors on his fighter in order to release his guided ordinance when, out of the blue, a sharp blaring alarm pierced through his cockpit. "Major, I've got an RWR (Radar Warning Receiver) warning!" he announced. Soon, the other members of Viper Flight reported the same warning.

The forest below erupted with Anti Aircraft Artillery and Surface to Air Missiles. "Viper Flight, break formation and evade those defenses!" Major Bishop ordered. All twelve F-35s peeled off in different directions and deployed countermeasures. Bishop swallowed his pride and contacted Jenny. "XJ9? If you'd be so kind as to take out the AA we'd be very grateful." He ordered more than asked.

"Since you asked so nicely, I'll do it fast." Jenny retorted. She turned to Brad. "Make sure everyone gets to safety. If one of those planes goes down, we don't want one to crash on top of them." Brad nodded his head and led everyone farther away from the forest.

**In the control room… **

Melody had her blaster gun pointed directly at her father's head. "Deactivate the defenses." She ordered in an unsteady voice. Dr. Locus just calmly stared back at his daughter. "What will happen if I don't?" he questioned. Melody let her weapon speak for itself. "Can you really do that?" Dr. Locus asked as he stood up from his chair. "Can you really destroy the one who saved you; the one who loved you for all those years? Frankly, I don't think you can."

"You want to know something?" Locus asked as he walked toward one side of his control room. Melody kept her blaster trained on him. "When I downloaded your mind into that body, I realized that I had unlocked the next phase of human evolution." Melody cocked her head to one side. "You see, humans lack the proper biology to survive unassisted. They are only as strong as the tools they create, are highly susceptible to their environments, and are difficult to fix."

"With the addition of robotics, humans can withstand almost any form of trauma. Even better is the fact that someone at the controls would be able to prevent pointless bickering and humanity would finally live in peace." Melody couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So you rounded up a bunch of innocent children and tore out their humanity just so you could have your perfect world?!" she accused.

"I gave them abilities that other humans can only dream of and that selfish so called 'heroes' like XJ9 hog for themselves." Locus replied. Melody was beginning to lose her composure. "They didn't ask for it!" she exclaimed. "That is irrelevant. I alone know what is best for humanity and I _will _see this through." Locus assured. "And you're going to help me." Melody narrowed her eyes. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She countered. She charged her blaster and was going to fire, when she suddenly noticed the floor moving toward her. Then everything went black.

Meanwhile, Jenny was busy destroying the anti aircraft defenses on the surface. The SAMs were easy since they only pointed skyward and she took out most of them within a few minutes. The guns were more troublesome because they could aim lower than 45˚. Dr. Locus deployed two types of anti aircraft guns: Gatling guns that could fill the sky with lead quickly, and flak guns which were more accurate and packed a greater punch.

Jenny ran up to a small Gatling emplacement and destroyed it with her palm lasers. She was about to move on to another when a flak shell exploded not inches from her. The concussive force slammed her into a nearby pine tree. Black soot stained Jenny's clothes and skin, but she was otherwise undamaged.

"Come on, this was brand new!" she groaned. Using her sophisticated targeting equipment, she tracked down the flak gun and disabled it with an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) missile. A quick tally showed her that not even half of the guns were down. "How's it coming?" Major Bishop asked while dodging fire. "I've taken care of the missiles, but there are still AA guns all over the place." Jenny reported. Bishop rolled his eyes. "I've noticed. Try to speed things up. Vipers 4 and 8 have had to withdraw and Viper 9 just reported tail damage."

"I'm working on it. And asking every five seconds won't speed anything up." Jenny shot back. She resumed her work and eventually carved out a path for the remaining bombers. "There. Okay Major, you should have a clear run now." Jenny said after using her energy sword to destroy one last flak gun.

"Okay Vipers, reform on me and commence bombing once you're in range." Major Bishop ordered. "Copy that boss; we're with you all the way." Viper 2 acknowledged. The other members of Viper Squadron acknowledged the order and proceeded toward the main facility.

Something suddenly flashed through Jenny's mind. _Melody! _Jenny was going to tell Major Bishop to disengage but he already started dropping his bombs. The rest of the F-35s followed suit. "Melody, this is Jenny. The facility is about to go up in smoke, so you'd better leave soon." Jenny warned. There was no response. "Melody, can you hear me? Melody, respond!" Jenny commanded. Still nothing.

Jenny flew toward the facility as fast as she could. She found the hatch but didn't need to open it. A bomb did it just before she reached it. Jenny flew down the shaft and into the facility. Secondary explosions rocked the hallways as more guided munitions detonated deep within the ground. Jenny made her way to the control room as quickly as she could. The collapsed hallways and lack of light didn't make things easier.

She finally made it to the control room and forced the door open. Before her stood Dr. Locus with an incapacitated Melody slung over his right shoulder. "Ah XJ9, it's a pleasure to see your new form in person. Tell your mother that I am most impressed." Locus greeted. "Drop Melody and surrender yourself." Jenny commanded with her Gatling lasers raised.

Locus smiled and said "I'll have to pass on that. I'm going to escape and start anew. I hear Mexico is nice this time of year." Jenny was standing in the exact position Melody had been in when she went down. The main computer was about to trigger the Electrical Overload Mechanism again. Jenny's determined look disappeared for a bit and everything went dark.

"What?!" Dr. Locus exclaimed in surprise. He couldn't see a thing because the room was pitch black. "The bombers must have knocked out the main power gri –oof!" Locus began before Jenny punched him in the gut. He dropped Melody and went down on his hands and knees. She picked Melody up and walked toward the door. Before she left, she turned around. "I'd get out fast if I were you. Those planes were loaded to the brim." Jenny warned.

"No… no… all my work…" Locus gasped, still trying to recover from having the wind knocked out of him. "…is going sky high." Jenny finished. "You'll pay for this!" Locus swore as rubble collapsed around him.

Jenny ran out the door and into the hallway. Several holes had opened in the ceiling and Jenny flew out of one to reach the surface. She eventually met up with Brad and the other children who were well outside the forest entrance. She made it just in time to see the facility collapse in on itself in a cloud of dirt and black smoke.

Melody sprung back to life suddenly. Jenny set her down on the grass. "Careful, you experienced an electrical overload." Jenny cautioned. "My father?" Melody implored. Jenny looked back at the wreckage as if to provide an answer. "Then it's over. It's finally over."


	7. Chapter 7 Readjustment

_**Mark II**_

**Chapter 7: Readjustment**

After Skyway Patrol deemed the forest clear of danger, the leadership allowed ground teams to inspect what remained of Dr. Locus's compound. They authorized Jenny and Melody to assist the ground teams if only because they knew the compound the best.

"I don't know why you guys want to bother with searching this place," Jenny remarked after turning over a chunk of concrete. "The bombers did quite a number on it." The platoon leader sighed. He and the other Skyway soldiers wore grey digital patter camouflage uniforms and black Arm Combat Helmets with red circles on the top. "Standard operating procedure."

"Besides, we need to find Locus's body." Another nearby soldier explained politely. Melody shook her head. "No one could have survived this." She assured. For once, Jenny agreed with a Skyway Patrol member.

"He's escaped death before, Melody. I wouldn't be surprised if he slipped out at the last second." She replied. Lo and behold, after six hours, neither Skyway Patrol nor the robot girls found the mad scientist's body; just some DNA samples to add to the databases.

"Captain Marbury." Jenny began. "What happens to the children that Locus converted?" Jenny wondered. "I suppose you'd take issue with Skyway Patrol taking them into custody?" he presumed. Jenny looked the officer straight in the eye, but didn't say anything. "Besides, why do _you _care?"

"Because they're still people." Jenny replied camly. Captain Marbury turned toward the congregation of children Brad looked after. "Then why don't we let _them_ decide?" he suggested.

Jenny, Melody and the Captain joined Brad and the others near the forest entrance. "Find anything?" The red head asked. Jenny shook her head. "I need to address them."

"By all means." Brad invited. The group of adolescents talked and joked amongst themselves until they noticed Jenny approach them. "Who among you is now a robot?" Initially, no one raised their hands or stepped forward.

"No one here will think any less of you or bring you harm if you step forward." Jenny assured before shooting a quick glance at the captain. Slowly but surely, about half of the group stepped forward. "The floor is yours Captain."

"On behalf of Skyway Patrol, I am Captain Garret Maybury." He began. "Those of you willing to submit to questioning need only say so. We won't punish anyone since you weren't in your right minds for the past few months."

Emily, Amy, and a boy named Drake stepped forward first. "We served as Locus's first lieutenants." Amy announced. "We'll answer any questions you have." Captain Maybury motioned for them to come along. " We'll need to tell your parents…" he began when all of the robot children suddenly shouted, "NO!"

"I'll take this one Captain." Jenny whispered. "I know you all are worried about what your loved ones will think of you now." She began to the crowd. "You're scared of what your friends will say. That you'll be seen as a freak. I don't blame you."

The robots nodded in agreement. "But before you give in to these fears, I ask only this: please tell them. Tell them what happened. More importantly remind them that behind the synthetic skin, behind the metal frame, behind the circuits; you are still the same person."

"What if that's not good enough for them?" someone asked. "Yeah, what if they don't accept us back?" another agreed. Jenny didn't lose a step. "Should that be the case, you have a few options. You can have your weapons removed. You can prove yourself to them by showing how your personalities haven't changed. You can find new friends that will accept your changes. You can form a group of friends out of yourselves. I'm not saying any of these options will be easy, only that your situation is manageable."

"However, there is one more alternative." Jenny informed. Brad knew where it was going and threw Jenny a questioning look. She replied with a confident one. "There is a planet you can move to if you feel that life on Earth isn't viable. Its name is Cluster Prime. Once there you can change your appearance and live amongst an entire race of robots." _Wow._ Jenny thought. _Never thought I'd advertise for Cluster Prime- even if Vexus no longer rules it._

"Before you consider any of these options, I ask that you at least talk with your parents. They deserve to know that you're still alive." Jenny recommended. "Above all else, remember that you are still people and nothing will ever change that. Because no amount of programming or machinery can destroy human will!"

It took Jenny a second to realize that she hovered about ten feet into the air at the same time she gave the speech's conclusion. She touched back down and allowed the captain to pick up where she left off. "Yes well, you heard XJ9. If that will be all then I will leave you to your decisions."

The children and Skyway Patrol departed, leaving only Brad, Melody, and Jenny at the forest entrance. The sun just started setting and cast a warm, orange glow onto all it touched. "I liked your speech Jenny." Melody complimented.

"Yeah, that was some inspiring stuff." Brad agreed. Jenny just smiled in response, but the smile soon faded. "What's wrong?" Brad wondered. "They're not the only ones who need to readjust." Jenny replied. "I'm still not sure how _I'm_ going to be received."

Brad wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything that Jenny would try to refute. "Thank you for your help." Jenny said. Melody looked down. "Thank you for apologizing." She looked back up and asked Brad if she and Jenny could talk alone.

Brad nodded his head and watched the two girls walk back into the forest.

"Jenny…" Melody began. "I know how much Brad means to you." Jenny didn't quite know how to respond to that so she let Melody continue. "I saw how his face lit up when he realized you were still alive. And you two were staring at each other while I lay in the grass recovering from the overload."

"But he means a lot to you too…" Jenny reasoned. She didn't want to part with Melody on bad terms again; especially not because of her feelings toward Brad. "Jenny, he's happy when he's with you. For me, that's enough."

"One more thing… I don't want to go back to the Moon and I need a place to stay so maybe…" Melody began. "You can stay at my place as long as you'd like." Jenny answered.

"You sure?" Melody questioned, but nonetheless felt relieved. "Of course. I owe you that much." Jenny promised. "What about your Mom?"

"Relax. I'm sure I can convince her." Jenny assured. On the way home Brad asked what they discussed. "Melody asked if she could live with me and I said yes." Jenny answered. Judging by the pace of the response, Brad figured Jenny left something important out. Something about him.

"Anything else?" Brad implored. Jenny's irises flashed as her phone rang saving her from having to answer. She picked up without even bothering to check the caller ID. "Mom, you have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"Uh, this is General Hardscape of Skyway Patrol." The voice on the receiver corrected. "Oh… uh… right." Jenny stammered. "What can I do for you?" The general forgot all about the verbal mishap and continued. "The President and Congress want invite you and Melody to Washington D.C. to receive the Medal of Honor."

"Seriously?" Jenny questioned. The general informed that Viper squadron's pilots would receive the same award alongside her so as to defuse her doubt. Even so Jenny scarcely believed what she heard. "Thank you sir."

"The ceremony will take place tomorrow at 3:00 PM EST on the front steps of the Capitol Building." Hardscape continued in his gruff voice. "We'll pick up the tab for any friends or family you want to bring."

"Thank you General, I'll be there." Jenny promised. The general signed off and hung up before Jenny did the same. "What was that all about?" Sheldon wondered.

"Melody and will receive Medal of Honor." Jenny answered. "Alright, Washington D.C." Brad approved.

When Melody and Jenny made it to the house, Nora tended the front porch garden she'd been working on for the past six months. "I take it the facility was destroyed." She presumed. Jenny nodded in response. "And Dr. Locus?"

Jenny explained that they didn't find his body. "Hmm… And this is?" Nora wondered while gesturing toward the girl next to Jenny. Melody introduced herself and asked if she could stay at the Wakeman residence for the time being.

"Just as long as you pay rent. I'll charge $15 a week plus a $30 deposit." Nora offered. "Mom!" Jenny groaned. "What? I'm just kidding. Of course you can stay for free." Dr. Wakeman assured. "There's a guest room downstairs that you can sleep in."

"Isn't that where Steven is sleeping?" Jenny remembered. "Not anymore. Steven left this morning to go home. He sends his apologies for not saying goodbye, but he said that some urgent business came up that needed his attention."

Jenny frowned for a second but decided she could just call him later. "Well, looks like you're in the guest room." Jenny decided.

"Thank you." Said Melody. Later that night, Jenny prepared herself for her first sleep mode since the upgrade. She removed the hair ties fisrt allowing her hair to fall straight down. Before doing anything else, Jenny turned toward her full length mirror.

_I should leave my hair down more often. _Jenny mused to herself. She stepped away from the mirror and started to change her clothes…

Brad's legs started to ache from the crouching position he maintained in order to remain hidden in his homemade shrub. He checked his watch. _9:20_. He observed. _Two minutes to get to the tree. One minute to deploy the ladder, three to climb up, four to reach optimum position, two to observe, and three_ _to get out._ Brad smirked in the shrub. _Plenty of time._

He put his carefully crafted plan into action, checking to see if Jenny remained sufficiently occupied.Brad reached the tree and pulled the lever that should have deployed the ladder. Instead, the whole ladder assembly simply fell out of the tree.

Brad noticed a piece of paper attached to the former top of the ladder. It read:

_The jig's up._

_J.W._

Jenny turned her light off and went to bed before Brad looked back up at her window. "Yeah, you're right." Brad decided. "Goodnight."

**3000 Miles and Several Hours Later…**

Twelve Skyway Patrol Pilots stood at attention in their best pressed uniforms accompanied by two adolescent but deserving women. The crowd receiving them at the National Mall numbered in the thousands if not tens of thousands. Several news crews practically fought to get the best angle of the medal recipients.

At 3:30 EST, the Chief of Staff announced. "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States." (For the purposes of avoiding political squabbles just assume that he's America's current president.) The band started playing "Hail to the Chief" as the president strolled up to a podium to the right of the award recipients.

"Thank you." He said over the cheers. "Thank you." Eventually the applause subsided and the president continued. "We gather to recognize these fourteen brave souls for outstanding courage in the face of danger, above and beyond the call of duty."

"Without their actions, a madman would still be performing horrible experiments on innocent human beings. What they've accomplished was not just for the people trapped in his lab, but also for the rights of all human beings endowed by their Creator: Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit of Happiness."

"And so on behalf of the United States Congress, I hereby present the Medal of Honor to Major Jack Bishop…" He went on down the list and personal put the medals on the rest of the pilots. "Jenny Wakeman." _Finally some due credit. _She thought.

"And Melody Rosen." The president finished. Melody happily accepted the reward knowing that she legally changed her last name.

"Congratulations to all of you." The president said after Melody returned to her spot. "Major Bishop, as leader of Viper Squadron, would you like to say a few words?"

Bishop nodded and walked up to the podium. Surprisingly, he didn't bring out any note cards. "Wow. I'd like to thank the president and Congress for these awards. More importantly I'd like to personally congratulate my squadron mates for their individual roles on the mission."

"However, I can honestly say that neither I nor my squadron would be alive today if it weren't for the invaluable efforts of Miss Rosen and Miss Wakeman." Jenny maintained a calm demeanor on the outside. Inside… _This coming from mister hurry-it-up? Mister Joe Cool in a fighter jet? Mister… _Yeah you get the idea.

"More importantly, it was these two that went in and freed the prisoners and saved the mechanized ones from Locus's house of horror." Bishop continued. "What I'm saying is, these medals are for them. Because they deserve it as much as Viper Squadron and as much as these two heroes. That is all."

The ceremony concluded a short time after. Jenny found her mother and friends in the audience where they took picture and answered questions. When they dispersed, Jenny noticed one man who remained. "Major." Jenny greeted indifferently. "Hello XJ9. Look, I know we didn't get off on the right foot, but I meant every word I said up there."

Jenny softened a little. "I know Major. It was just… unexpected." Bishop laughed a bit before extended his hand toward Jenny. "Please, call me Jack." For the first time, Jenny took full notice of his facial features. He didn't have the usual steely eyed missile man appearance of most fighter pilots she'd seen.

He seemed a mix of Spanish and Philippine descent with a black buzz cut, a medium tan, and brown eyes that stood out as the only indication that he'd seen battle before. His six foot two inch frame appeared well built under the dress uniform. Jenny reached out and shook Jack's hand.

"Call me Jenny."

"Nice to meet you Jenny."

"Nice to meet you too Jack."

**A/N: **If there's one thing I hate writing more than love triangles, it's writing love triangles where both pairings could work. Obviously, I ship JennyxBrad so I'm going to favor that pairing, but I still think that BradxMelody could have worked in the show. Other than that, I enjoyed writing this chapter because of the speeches and for a tiny bit of fan service in the middle. I didn't realize how much potential this story had when I first started it so I will continue beyond this point. Thank you for reading.


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